Means for feeding air into steam-boiler furnaces.



PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

1). A. REAGAN. MEANS FOR FEEDING AIR INTO STEAM BOILER FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1904.

NO MODEL.

Patented December 13, 1904 PATENT OFFICE.

DQMINIGK A. REAGAN, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO FREDERICK HESSER, ()F ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR FEEDING AIR INTO STEAM-BOILER FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,139, dated December 13, 1904. Application filed .Ipril '7, 1904. Serial No. 201,951- (lllo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DOMINICK A. REAGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Feeding Air into Steam-Boiler Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to steam-boiler fur- IO naccs, but is more especially designed for use on locomotive-furnaces; and one of the principal objects of said invention is to provide means for automatically feeding air to the interior of the furnace in order to promote complete combustion of the fuel and smoke.

As a result of a series of experiments it has been ascertained that quite a material saving of fuel can be accomplished by. the proper feeding of air to the furnace to assist in rendering the combustion and complete consumption of fuel and smoke more perfect. It has also been ascertained that a continuous feeding of air even of a small quantity is not as efficient in promoting the combustion as the 5 admission of short puffs admitted at intervals or intermittently. It will be readily un--- derstood that the admission of air may be accomplished by either automatic means or by means of steam, compressed air, electricity, or

3 by a system of springs or weights.

In its broadest aspect my invention contemplates the use of a series of valves which are normally open and which are closed at inter vals by either the exhaust or by whatever means may be adopted for the purpose. The air may be admitted either above or below the fireline, or it may be admitted through the fire-door or at the sides of the furnace, and it has sometimes been found desirable to locate 4 the means for admitting air at different points for simultaneous or variable operation, depending upon conditions existing at the time of operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Figure l is a side View of a locomotive furnace and boiler provided with means for carrying my invention into effect, a portion of the Wall of the furnace being broken away to illustrate the exhaust mechanism. Fig. 2 is a front elc- 5 vation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional detail of the lire-door and the front portion of the furnace. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing the construction and arrangement of certain air-valves to be 10- 5 5 cated at the sides of the furnace. Fig. 5 is a detail section of another form. of valve which may be employed in carrying out my invention.

Like characters of reference designate like parts wherever they occur in different views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates a steam-locomotive furnace and boiler, and 2 is the steamdome. As shown in Fig. 1, a is the exhaust- 5 nozzle, and 7) is the smoke-stack. These parts may be of the usual or any preferred construction.

In the front of the furnace at suitable points above, below, or in line with the fire or in the 7 fire-door a series of air-valves are located. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, these valves each con1- prise a box or housing 3, extending outward from the front of the furnace and having their lower ends 4: open, as shown in Fig. 5, said boxes or housings being located in front of openings 5 formed in the wall of the furnace, and said openings adapted to be normally open, but intermittently closed by valves 6, each provided with a stem 7. extend ing through the box 3 and having a spring 8 surrounding the stem between the valve 6 and the inner wall of the housing 3, and the tension of said springs 8 is suitably regulated or adjusted.

Valves of this or similar construction may be 5 located upon the fire-door 9, and said door may be held at a slight distance from the wall of the furnace at the free edge of said door by means of a spring 10, pivoted at 11 to the furnace and adapted to be swung out of the 9 way when it is desired to close the door tightly to form a practically air-tight closure. The usual latch 12 may be employed for holding the door closed. The ash-pit door 13 is of the usual or any preferred construction.

At the sldes of the furnace and at any desired height relatively to the fire-grate a series of valves 14 are arranged upon aplate 15, adjustably attached to the wall of the furnace by means of a slot 16 in the plate and a bolt 17 passing through the slot and entering the Wall of the furnace, the opposite end of the plate terminating in a tongue 18, adapted to engage the keepers 19. The valves 14 at the lower edge of the plate 15 are secured to U- shaped springs 20, one end of which is secured to the valve and the opposite end to the plate, as shown in Fig. 4. The upper row of valves 14: may be of the same construction or maybe similar to valves 6. These valves may be arranged to be held normally open by the springs or by weights or similar means, and they may be closed by means of the pulsations or exhaust of the locomotive to admit air at intervals and intermittently. However, if desired, the valves may be operated positively at intervals by means of steam connections or connections from an electric motor or other source of power. There are times when it is desirable to have a constant feeding of air to the furnace, and provision is made for this contingency by the plate 15, which may be adjusted to admit air constantly at the sides of the furnace.

The operation of the invention will be understood from the foregoing. The valves being normally closed by their springs will be opened at each exhaust pulsation of the locomotive, and the air admitted will be in small quantities at intervals, thus serving to render the combustion of coal and smoke complete and also saving fuel.

In steam-boiler furnaces other than locomotive-furnaces it may be desirable to have the air valves normally closed by springs or Weights, and such valves may be intermittently opened by positive means, as by a separate motor or by weights, springs, or other positive or automatic means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A steam-boiler furnace having a series of openings in its wall, a series of normally open valves arranged over said openings, and exhaust mechanism for seating the normally open valves at each exhaust or pulsation.

2. A locomotive steam-boiler furnace having a series of openings in its front and side walls, a series of normally open spring-valves arranged over said openings, and exhaust mechanism for closing the valves intermittently at each exhaust or pulsation.

3. A steam-boiler furnace having a series of openings in its wall,saiol openings being above, below and in line with the fire-grate, a series of normally open valves arranged over said openings, and exhaust mechanism for intermittently and automatically closing said valves at each exhaust or pulsation, substantially as described.

4. A steam-boiler furnace provided with a series of openings in its side wall, a plate arranged over said openings, a series of valves connected to the plate and arranged to be normally at a slight distance from said openings to admit air to the furnace, and exhaust mechanism for intermittently seating the valves at each exhaust or pulsation.

5. In a steam-boiler furnace, a fire-box, a

fire-door, a series of openings in the walls of the fire box and door, aseries of air-valves arranged over said openings and normally held unseated by springs, and an exhaust mechanism for seating the valves at each exhaust or pulsation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DOMINIGK A. REAGAN.

Witnesses:

WVM. S. HAMMOND, CLYDE E. BROWN. 

